Competitive Eating Update #2

From the Wall Street Journal: Sonya Thomas has been eating competitively since June 2003 and has set records for wolfing down everything from oysters to meatballs to tater tots. Her ability to outeat larger, male competitors has earned her the nickname "The Black Widow." During the day, the 38-year-old champion eater manages a Burger King restaurant located at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. She lives in Alexandria, Va.
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To gear up for contests, she constantly tries to maintain or improve her hand speed, eye-hand coordination, jaw strength and stomach capacity. She says her day job as a Burger King manager keeps her hand speed and hand-eye coordination in top form.

"When I'm working I'm non-stop for eight hours, constantly moving and walking around and I can tell my body is working hard," she says. "I'm pulling orders out of windows and scooping fries." She also keeps her jaw in shape by chewing two pieces of sugarless gum at a time throughout the day. Once or twice a week she eats dried squid. "It really exhausts your jaw," she says."You have to keep your jaw strong when you eat so much and are using the muscle for such a long time," she says.